veganmofo - retro + cauliflower fricassee

Day 9 #vgnmf15 prompt is "most retro recipe."

I chose to revamp a fricasse, which has been documented to as far back as the 1300 - I'd say that's pretty retro.

Fricassee is a meat and vegetable braise in a white sauce of some such or another. While originally thought to be of French origin, fricassee has gone through a gamut of adaptations anywhere from Spain to the Caribbean Islands, a version that includes Scotch Bonnet peppers.

I've stuck as close to the original as possible because I have a type-A personality and things need to be as close to "perfect" as is veganly doable.

Replacing the typical chicken, this fricassee features roasted chickpeas (which are, btw, stunning all by themselves and make an excellent snack) and large pieces of cauliflower that are braised in an onion-thyme gravy.

I served these with retro green beans and corkscrew pasta.

If you haven't entered the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to yesterday's post HERE. Good luck!

Cauliflower Fricassee

Serves 4 to 6

Marinade:

1 medium to large head cauliflower, cut into large florets

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced 

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Fricassee:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Sea salt and ground black pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into large chunks

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour 

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened plain vegan milk

1. Marinade: Steam the cauliflower until par-tender. Combine the onions, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, paprika, salt, tarragon and cayenne in a large bowl. Add the par-cooked cauliflower and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and and cook the chickpeas until golden and crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and set aside in a medium bowl. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and add the cauliflower florets, leaving as much of the onion in the bowl as possible. Cook the cauliflower until golden, turning as needed. When browned, remove and set aside in the bowl with the chickpeas.

3. Add the marinade, including the onions, the carrots and bay leaf to the pot. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until golden, about 5 more minutes. Add the flour and stir until the flour is well incorporated. Add the broth and stir well. Add the milk and the reserved cauliflower and chickpeas and bring to boil. reduce to simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. 

4. Season to taste and serve with pasta and steamed green beans.

 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - book/film inspiration + schnitzel (chickpea brine)

Day 7 mofo challenge is brought to you by the compassionate side of the Von Trapp family. Again, I was assisted by my teen girls to plod my way to this musical inspiration, The Sound of Music.

We are pretty big into musicals at the Dever household and it's pretty unusual to not hear at least one family member singing. As I write this, my youngest is busting out a Sweeny Todd song as she is getting ready for work.

So, we could have chosen other musical inspirations, but collectively we went with The Sound of Music, as much for the musical itself as for the inspired meal from it: the schnitzel.

Some might remember from last year when I was in my burger throes and made like 20 really kick-butt creations, that the Schnitzel Burger was the first in that list - another one on a homemade bun.

That was all fine and tasty, but then the magic of the chickpea brine was brought to our arena and now the Schnitzel needs a remake.

A regular schnitzel is made using an egg bath which actually adds a unique texture to the breading. It isn't really like breading with just a sticky substance (such as flax or cashew milk) that is then dredging in bread crumbs. The egg bath for this dish puffs up and creates a tender, fluffy texture.

I wanted to see if the magical chickpea brine would enhance the texture of the breading, so I made one batch with the whipped brine and another with just starch+liquid combo, acting as the glue that binds.

Verdict: the chickpea brine produced a noticeably different texture! The breading was indeed lighter and fluffier than the one without. I believe the schnitzel pictured above had some of the breading fall off a bit [which is where there is no fluffy breading], but you can see where the breading adhered that it is puffed up, just as in the egg-based schnitzels. Score!

To fix the falling off dilemma, I wound up chilling some of the cutlets in the freezer for about 10 minutes to help make them stick  to the seitan; that worked well, so chilling it first will be my procedure hence forth.

As for the seitan, I used the Simple Seitan from Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N), but instead of making cutlets, I cooked the gluten as a roast and sliced the seitan about 1/4-inch thin. This resulted in a really crisp, but fluffy coating.

All in all, definitely the way to go when you splurge and make a schnitzel. Reminded me of my days in the restaurant [minus the cruelty]. Yippee!

Schnitzel [using chickpea brine]

Makes about 6 cutlets

½ cup dry fine bread crumbs

½ teaspoon paprika

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup chickpea brine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound seitan loaf (Everyday Vegan Eats has a great one!), cut into ¼-inch slices and gently squeezed of excess moisture

Neutral oil for frying

Lemon slices

1. Combine the bread crumbs and paprika in a shallow pan (cake pans are awesome). Season with salt and black pepper. Add the ¼-cup flour to a separate shallow pan and season with salt and black pepper. Whip the chickpea brine into stiff peaks using a stand mixer, if possible. Gently fold in the 2 tablespoons flour. 

2. Dredge each seitan slice first in the flour, then in the chickpea mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs. Set the cutlets in the freezer for 10 minutes to help the breading to adhere.

3. Heat ¼-inch oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 popcorn kernels. When the popcorn  pops, the oil is at the correct temperature.

4. Cook the cutlets in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd the skillet; cook the cutlets in batches. Drain the cutlets on paper towels.

5. Serve with lemon slices.

 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

marengo bowl

Because Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) is so close to release (September 15!), I can't seem to get bowl dishes off my mind. Although this recipe, Marengo Bowl, is not in the book, creating more and more bowl foods these days seems to be my norm as they are easy, complete - in terms of starch, vegetable and protein - and convenient.

I am a sucker for re-creating classic recipes as authentically as is vegan-ly possible, and Marengo is no exception to this self-imposed rule.

Legend has it that Chicken Marengo was created to celebrate Napoleon's Battle of Marengo in the 1800's. After the victory, Napoleon's chef searched the village for ingredients fit for his highness and found chicken, eggs, crayfish, tomato and wine. Napoleon loved the dish so much that he insisted on eating it before each battle, believing it would bring him good luck.

So the legend goes. How much truth there is in the story is debated by historians, but the dish does exist and I am here to make it into a vegan culinary dream.

The most difficult aspect of this dish to veganize is the fried egg, which is served sunny side up as the egg yolk adds a "sauce" to the chicken stew. I decided to use a quick vegan Hollandaise sauce to add that extra sauciness and flavor.

While the mushrooms (if we are to believe the original tale) were added much later, it has become synonymous with Marengo. In addition to regular mushrooms in the stew itself, I decided to add grilled trumpet mushrooms (also know as king oyster mushrooms) because they are substantial and have a light reminiscence of seafood flavor - not as much as the regular oyster mushrooms, but very adequate in replacing the crayfish, or shrimp that is a popular addition these days. If unavailable, use protobellos.

Get the recipe below and don't forget to enter to win Kittee Berns' amazing Ethiopian cookbook, Teff Love, HERE.

Marengo Bowl

Serves 4

Hollandaise: 3 tablespoons vegan mayo 2 tablespoons unsweetened plain vegan milk 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon dijon mustard ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric Pinch cayenne Sea salt and ground black pepper Sautee: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced thin 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 garlic cloves, sliced ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon dried oregano 1 bay leaf 8 ounces crimini or button mushrooms, quartered 1 cup dry marsala or sherry 1 (15 - 18 ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand ½ cup water ½ cup sliced black olives Grill: 4 trumpet (or king oyster) mushrooms, trimmed and cut into ½-inch thick slices 2 teaspoons olive oil Cooked rice, as needed 2 tablespoons minced parsley. 1. Hollandaise: Combine the mayo, milk, juice, mustard, turmeric and cayenne in a small microwave-safe bowl. Whip with a whisk to combine and season with salt and black pepper. When needed, warm in a microwave in 20 second intervals until heated through. 2. Sautee: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, chickpeas, garlic, thyme, oregano, bay and season with salt and black pepper. Cover and cook until the onions and chickpeas are lightly golden, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the onion and beans and set aside. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, water and reserved onions and beans and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes. Add the olives and a 2 to 3 tablespoons of water if the sautee is too dry. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. 3. Grill: Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Combine the trumpet mushrooms, olive oil and salt and black pepper, to taste, in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Grill the mushrooms until tender, 3 minutes per side in the covered grill pan. turning the mushrooms a quarter turn after 2 minutes. 4. Assembly: Serve the sauce over the cooked rice in shallow bowls. Garnish with a few slices of grilled mushrooms, hollandaise sauce and parsley. Serve.

© 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

"the abundance diet" + giveaway

After two long years of struggling with an accident, surgery, physical therapy, recipe development and testing, my good friend Somer McCowan, of Vedgedout,  has finally published her long-awaited cookbook, The Abundance Diet (Vegan Heritage Press, Amazon, B&N) and I couldn't be more proud of her achievement.

Somer has been a huge supporter of me and I am very happy to be able to return the love and take part in the kick-off of her amazing book!

The Abundance Diet is not your run-of-the-mill "diet" book, and, in fact, Somer makes the important distinction that this is decidedly not a diet book, but more of a healthier way to eat. Having said that, this book is a different way of eating in the sense that it is a plan with an end goal in mind - your improved health.

Blueberry Vanilla Green Smoothie, page 50.

I've had the pleasure (and benefit) of participating in Somer's Green Smoothie Challenge and I am pleased to see the entire program souped-up with added information, recipe sections, and components, and is now available in one convenient location. It sure beats having a bunch of papers scattered around to keep track of!

More than outlining the bones of the program, Somer teaches us how to best implement it, save time and money in the process, and how best to make it fit into today's busy lifestyle. If you are at all aware of Somer, you will know that she advocates a whole-foods eating habit and everyone knows that when you leave convenience foods behind, you begin making more and more things from scratch.

That's when her genius kicks in and she plans out the first four weeks for us, making it as easy as conveniently possible. Check out the 4-week menu plan and download it. I print out two copies, one I stick in the book and other I adhere magnets to and on the refrigerator they go!

It is a fact that when someone hits on a new way of eating (for some vegans that will be whole-foods, low/no oil, loads of fresh produce), the easiest way to implement it is to rotate meals for ease and happiness. The palate likes meals to roll back around to savor again so that some familiarity comforts us, even if that familiarity is rather new. Of course, you don't have to follow her menu plan; you can switch things up as much as you want.

As for the recipes, Somer obviously knows her way around the kitchen and she shares her abundance of knowledge and expertise. The dishes are delicious! Beginning with the smoothies themselves: I realize that smoothies are just a bunch of ingredients in a jar, but it sure is nice to have someone make smoothies that taste good! Just ask my kids; I happen to not be an ace in that hole.

Another inventive and smart way to organize your day is Somer's way. She breaks up the day into smoothies/breakfast, soup, salad, snack, main and dessert. It is comforting to have your meals organized into such precise categories because you know what to eat and what to look forward to. Of course, you can eat however you please, and there is no order to follow or time to eat to follow. If you like soup for breakfast, why not? Or soup and salad for lunch? or for dinner? Change it up; what to eat when is flexible and personal.

Here is Somer's Falafel Salad with Quinoa Tabbouleh. The freshness is radiating off the meal, and because it is in The Abundance Diet I know it is healthy, but a secret: it didn't taste like healthy food! So good!

Falafel Salad, page 104

As for the Main dishes, they are just as scrumptious. I made the "Cowboy Special" One-pot Pasta and it was so quick and easy to prepare and so tasty. By the way, those chips are homemade tortillas that were baked. Tortillas were from my upcoming, Vegan Bowls, cookbook. I found some really hard to get blue cornmeal and couldn't resist.

"Cowboy Special" One-pot Pasta, page 183.

To sum it up, if you are looking to change the way you eat, or just want to eat more healthfully, would like a one-stop shop for a program to help you achieve it, complete with recipes and ease of implement, this is your book: The Abundance Diet.

The best way to see if you like the recipes, is to try them out. Along Somer's Blog Tour you will find smoothies, salads, soups and snacks to sample. I'm sharing Somer's  BBQ Roasted Chickpea Snacks. Before I forget to mention, the gorgeous photos in the book are by none other than Annie Oliverio, of An Unrefined Vegan and Virtual Vegan Potluck and the new cookbook Crave Eat Heal (Amazon, B&N); another excellent addition to a whole-foods, plant-based, healthy diet.

Before you leave, make sure to get the recipe below and enter the contest to win a copy of The Abundance Diet. To be eligible to win you must be following this blog via email or RSS feed.
Contest is open to US residents only and is courtesy of Vegan Heritage Press. Contest ends on June 22, midnight. Good luck!

Photo by Ann Oliverio. Used with permission from VHP.

BBQ Roasted Chickpea Snack

I was tooling around in the kitchen making versions of chickpea bacon, but multiple people told me these taste like BBQ chickpeas instead of bacon. No loss, eh? These are absolutely fantastic for snacking on. You may want to make a double batch, as these are super addictive! They make a great salad topping. (Recipe from The Abundance Diet, © 2015 by Somer McCowan. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press LLC.)

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained, well rinsed and then blotted dry with a clean kitchen towel

Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a medium bowl, stir together the liquid smoke, sesame oil, black pepper, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, sherry, tamari, onion powder, and garlic powder. This is your marinade. Add the chickpeas to the marinade and stir to coat.

Transfer the chickpeas and marinade into an 8x8-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper. Bake the chickpeas for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. The chickpeas will get crispier as they cool. Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator. These are even better, if possible, on the second day.

Makes 4 servings

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chile relleno! vegan!

If you've been under a boulder the past few weeks, you would not be up to date on the epic chickpea brine discovery, so I'll give a quick run-down for you.

Some clever genius has discovered that the annoying foam that our beans produce during cooking can whip up into vegan egg whites. Let that sink in. What have you missed eating or making since you've become vegan? Chances are good, they contain some sort of egg product: macaroons, angel food cake, floating islands, among other sweets that conventionally are either made completely of eggs or contain a significant amount of eggs.

While I haven't tested this using freshly cooked bean liquid, this process has been proven to work with canned or boxed chickpeas or white beans. Although I've been cooking up batches of beans using my Instant Pot, for this special occasion, I purchased a box of chickpeas. A few, actually.

I'm not sure exactly who came up with this first - - you know the type, looks at the liquid drained from beans and thinks, "hmmm, that looks like egg whites!" but I am grateful. I will try to give credit where I think it might belong. If you know of someone who also came up with this at about the same time (it's possible - two different people invented calculus at the same time while occupying two different parts of the world), I'll add them to the list.

Plant Revolution (French)
Vegan Cookery

Since my facebook page has blow up with all kinds of vegan delicacies using bean liquid, I, of course, could not be left out of the fun.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Photo courtesy of Somer McCowen

Vedged Out: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Floral Frosting: Macaroons
Seitan is My Motor: Marshmallows

Unlike my fellow bloggers and FB friends, my mind instantly flew to making Chile Rellenos, a chile stuffed with cheese and battered in an egg-flour mixture before being fried. That's right, not being one with much of a sweet tooth, I was itching to try my hand at making a fluffy, crispy stuffed pepper, Tex-Mex style.

The recipe below is my first attempt at making the rellenos; let me tell 'ya, they kick some royal Tex-Mex butt. Some tweaking with the ratio of whipped bean brine to flour would make this even better, but for the debut, this was an amazing Chile Relleno.

CHILE RELLENO PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Chile Relleno

Serves 4

Sauce: (optional)

1 (15.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups vegetable broth

Chiles:

4 medium to large poblano peppers

1 cup shredded vegan cheese (combination of different varieties is best)

4 (4-inch) wooden skewers

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Oil, for frying

Batter:

1 1/4 cups chickpea or white bean brine (liquid from 2 cans of beans)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. Sauce: (Optional) Combine the tomatoes and broth in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Cook the sauce until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Blend using an immersion blender and keep warm.

2. Chiles: Cook the peppers over a flame or directly over the stove top burners, until charred well. There is no need to completely char the peppers. Transfer the peppers to a large bowl and cover with a lid. Steam the peppers for 20 minutes.

3. Peel the peppers using your hands. Do not rinse under water.  Make a slit down the side of the pepper about 2-inches long. Remove the seeds as much as possible, but leave the stem intact. Add about ¼-cup cheese inside the pepper and close the pepper using a skewer. Clean and stuff all the peppers and roll each pepper in the flour. Set aside.

4. Heat about 2-inches of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add three popcorn kernels to the oil; when the kernels pop the oil is ready.

5. Batter: Add the batter to a large bowl and using an electric hand mixer beat the brine until thick and stiff, about 4 minutes. Add the paprika, salt and black pepper. Whisk until the flour is incorporated.

6. Place a pepper into the batter and using a spoon coat the pepper on all sides. Fry the pepper in the hot oil until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Drain the pepper on paper towels and season with salt. Serve with the sauce.

© 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

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mediterranean chickpea + tabouli sliders

Day 3 of our Burger Extravaganza is brought to you by these lovely Mediterranean Chickpea and Tabouli Sliders. These sliders are perfect when you are craving good old' fashioned hummus and tabouli, but prefer to have them in every single bite.

These particular sliders are made with freekeh tabouli and cooked chickpeas.

Last year I tested for Tami Noyes' and Celine Steen's upcoming cookbook, The Great Vegan Protein Book, and it is no secret that Tami loves to use freekeh - which is toasted and cracked green wheat. The very best thing about freekeh is that it is loaded with protein.

You can use regular cracked wheat in this recipe (you will need 1 1/2 cups cooked cracked wheat), but I recommend you find freekeh because it is delicious and nutritious.

I love sliders because they are cute as a button, easy to eat and your burger stays relatively together during consumption.

I top these adorable sliders with Tahini-Lemon Sauce that is spiced with just a tad bit of Sriracha, because you can't really go wrong there!

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA AND TABOULI PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Mediterranean Chickpea and Tabouli Sliders

Makes 10 sliders

1 cup packed parsley leaves

½ cup mint leaves

4 scallions, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ½ cups cooked freekeh, cooled

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (zest lemon first)

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

¾ cup quick cooking oatmeal

¼ cup vegetable broth

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon red chili flakes

Zest of 1 lemon

10 slider buns, toasted

Garnish: lettuce leaves, thin slices of red bell pepper

Tahini-Lemon Sauce (recipe below)

1. Combine the parsley, mint, scallions, garlic and oil in a food processor. Process until fine and transfer to a large bowl. Add the freekeh , lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat the oatmeal and broth in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook until the oatmeal thickens. Transfer oatmeal to the freekeh mixture.

3. Add the chickpeas, paprika, chili flakes and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse only to break up the chickpeas into smaller pieces, about 4 (2-second) pulses. Transfer to the freekeh. Mix the burger mixture well using a large wooden spoon or hands. Taste and adjust seasoning. Divide the mixture into 10 portions and form into small 2-inch burgers.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking oil or add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Cook the burgers until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

5. Make the sliders by adding a lettuce leaf, a slider burger, a tablespoon of sauce and a few slices of bell pepper to each toasted bun. Serve with extra Sriracha.

Tahini-Lemon Sauce

¼ cup tahini

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 to 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

3 tablespoons finely minced parsley

1 garlic clove, minced

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper.

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays, What I Ate Wednesday and Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck. 

 

     

bok choy and chickpeas over ginger polenta bowl

Lunch at our house these days leaves little time for cooking, but the meals continue to be needed. Couple the demand for food, about thirty minutes to cook and seasonal produce and you have the making of bowl meals.

This time I wanted to use beautiful baby bok choy that had been delivered a few days before and when I think of bok choy, I immediately think of Asian food.

I decided to saute my bok choy and serve it with chickpeas that had been sauteed with a little sesame seed oil. As soon as the chickpeas hit the pan, I knew that these beans were the bridge to making creamy polenta, studded with slices of ginger and chili flakes.

I made a simple sauce using tamari and vegetable broth and lunch was ready quickly.

While creamy polenta might not be the first thing someone thinks of as a foil for Asian food, it was really delicious. Since my hubby is away this week, I was secretly a little glad that I got to eat more than my fair share. It was a little surprising how wonderful spicy, garlic and ginger creamy polenta can be!

BOK CHOY AND CHICKPEAS OVER SPICY GINGER-SCENTED POLENTA BOWL 

PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Bok Choy over Spicy Ginger-Scented Polenta and Chickpeas Bowl   

Serves 4

2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided

10 garlic cloves, minced, divided

1 to 2 teaspoons red chili flakes

3 ½ to 4 cups unsweetened plain vegan milk

1 (1-inch) piece ginger, (half sliced thin and the other half finely grated), divided

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup polenta or medium-grind cornmeal

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry

3 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil, divided

10 ounces baby bok choy, halved through the stem

6 tablespoons vegetable broth

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari

1. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Stir in 6 minced garlic cloves and the chili flakes and cook until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Stir in 3 ½ cups milk, the sliced ginger and salt. Bring the milk to a simmer and using a whisk, slowly add the polenta while whisking the milk. Bring the milk back to a simmer, lower the heat until the polenta barely bubbles. Cook until the polenta is tender, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. When the polenta is cooked, stir in additional milk, up to ½ cup, to achieve a creamy consistency. Remove and discard the garlic slices, if desired.

2. While the polenta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil and the chickpeas. Season the chickpeas with a little salt and cook until the chickpeas are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil to the still hot skillet. Add the halved boy choy, cut side down, and cook until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

4. Heat the remaining teaspoon of sesame seed oil in the still hot skillet. Reduce the skillet heat to medium and stir in the grated ginger and the remaining garlic. Cook until the garlic is golden. Carefully add the vegetable broth and tamari. Stir and cook until the sauce reduces by one-quarter.

5. To serve, divide the polenta into 4 bowls, top each bowl with an equal amount of bok choy, chickpeas and sauce. Serve immediately.

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

I'd like to give a shout-out to GiGi over at Veganville. She was one of my irreplaceable testers for Everyday Vegan Eats. GiGi is right this very minute running a contest to giveaway a copy of EVE to one lucky US or Canada resident. If you don't have it, yet, here is an opportunity to win it. 

WIN A COPY AT VIGANVILLE!

She is sharing the recipe for the Seafood variation of Marinated Tofu from Everyday Vegan Eats. With the marinated tofu you can make such recipes as this No-Fish Filet Sandwich:

Some of you may not know that GiGi runs the very divine vegan bakery on etsy: Veganville Bakery. 

My son just celebrated his 19th birthday last month and I ordered a few boxes of GiGi's voopee pies for his special day. I asked GiGi not to have it delivered until his birthday because, well, they might not last long enough to make it to his birthday! 

Let me tell you that we are not short on sweets at our house, so it wasn't that my kids were hankering for sugar, but they inhaled these beauties! Veganville was nominated by VegNews for the best online bakery, and it is no surprise. 

We procured two boxes: Assorted Gift Box and Assorted Chocolate Love Box. And not a single voopee pie was left. 

Thank you, GiGi! We all LOVED the voopee pies!

I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays. and What I Ate Wednesday.